The other week I talked about being able to fix your own stuff.  This week I got to put it into practice with something I have never done before.  One of the sealed cartridge bearings on my front Easton EA90 wheel was “crunchy”, basically it was shot and the only way to fix it was to replace it.

I’ve only had experience with cup and cone bearings prior to this.  Hubs like Shimano and Campagnolo have been my experience for the most part.  However, turns out that changing sealed cartridge bearings is almost stupidly easy.  As long as you have the right tools!

Wheels Manufacturing has the tools and parts for just about anything you can imagine you want to do with a bike.  I was going to get standard angular contact bearings for my wheel.  However they were out of stock ($8.00 each), so I opted for ceramic ($32 each).  At least now I’ll be faster…..ha ha ha.

It took me less than 10 minutes to pull the bearings and press in the new set.  Amazingly simple and now the front wheel spins smoothly and quietly.  No more crunching and grinding noise.

I was amazed at how simple this whole process was.  It was almost a no brainer.  Changing derailleur cables takes about the same about of time.  I think it takes a tad bit longer to replace both tires on a bike.  Yes, it is that simple.  As long as you have the right tools.

Thanks for reading,

-Pete